Japan is Diverse! - An Analysis from the Perspective of the Seven Lucky Gods 七福神からの考察 - 日本は単一民族ではありません｡｡｡

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is a signature board (daigofu) featuring the red stamps and calligraphy of the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichifukujin), along with the names of the temples where they are enshrined.

A signature board of stamps of seven lucky Japanese gods

These seven temples are all in Kyoto, and I visited them to collect their stamps and calligraphy while on a 'Seven Lucky Gods' pilgrimage. The characteristics of these gods (actually, one is a goddess!) are outlined below:

God/goddess	Home country	Temple	Description
1. Benzaiten 弁財天 (only goddess)	India	Rokuhara Mitsuji temple	Benzaiten (弁才天 or 弁財天) has her origin in Hinduism. She is the only goddess, representing financial fortune, talent, beauty and music, and the patron of artists, writers, dancers, and geisha.
2. Daikokuten 大黒天	India	Matsugasaki Daikokuten temple	Daikokuten (大黒天) is the god of commerce and prosperity and the patron of cooks, farmers, bankers, and the protector of crops. He is also considered a demon hunter.
3. Ebisu ゑびす	Japan	Ebisu jinja shrine	Ebisu (恵比寿), the only god who originates in Japan, is the god of prosperity and wealth in business, and of plenitude and abundance in crops, cereals and food.
4. Bishamonten 毘沙門天	India	Toji temple	Bishamonten (毘沙門天) whose origin is traced back to Hinduism, is the god of fortune in war and battles and the protector of those who follow the rules and behave appropriately.
5. Hotei 布袋	China	Manpukuji temple	Hotei (布袋) is the god of fortune, the guardian of children, and the patron of diviners and barmen. He is also the god of popularity and often depicted as a fat, smiling, bald man with a curly mustache.
6. Jurojin 寿老神	China	Kodo temple	Jurojin (寿老人) is the god of the elderly and longevity in Japanese Buddhist mythology, based on a real person who lived in ancient times and was about six feet tall with a very long head and a long white beard.
7. Fukurokuju 福禄寿	China	Sekizan Zenin temple	Fukurokuju (福禄寿) has his origin in China. He is the god of wisdom, luck, longevity, wealth and happiness and characterized by the size of his head almost as large as the size of his whole body.

Source: Wikipedia

Japan's gods are so diverse, aren't they?! The Seven Lucky Deities consist not only of Japanese gods, but also Chinese and Indian deities! Speaking of diversity, the Japanese people themselves are diverse. Therefore, Taro Aso—Japan’s former deputy prime minister and finance minister who once described Japan as a country of a "single race"—was mistaken. He should study Japanese history! (For details, check out this Washington Post article.)

The diversity of the Japanese people is backed by historical and scientific authorities as well:

• The National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo states that DNA evidence shows the Japanese population has historically mixed with Korean and other East Asian peoples. 
• The Asuka Historical Museum in Nara Prefecture displays an imperial family tree indicating ancestral links to Korea. 
• The Emperor Emeritus (the former Emperor) also noted during a 2001 birthday press conference that the imperial family has roots tracing back to Korea (Press Conference on the occasion of His Majesty's Birthday (2001)). 

Getting back to the original theme of this post, Japan has dozens of routes for seven lucky gods pilgrimages in not only in Kyoto but also Tokyo, such as the Yanaka, Nihonbashi and Sumidagawa River areas. So how about taking any one of the pilgrimages to meet these gods and goddess who bring happiness, love, wealth and luck!?

Getting back to the original theme of this post, Japan has dozens of pilgrimage routes for the Seven Lucky Gods - not only in Kyoto but also across Tokyo, including the Yanaka, Nihonbashi and Sumidagawa River areas. So, how about embarking on one of these pilgrimages to meet these deities who bring happiness, love, wealth, and luck?!

If you want to meet the kawaii finger-sized Jedi Fukurokuju shown in the photo below, head over to the Tokyo National Museum!

Netsuke sculpture "Fukurokuju"

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京都七福神巡りで集めた御朱印の大護符です。私が巡った7つのお寺は以下の通り。

名前	寺社	出身	性別
ゑびす神	ゑびす神社	日本	男
大黒天	松ヶ崎大黒天	インド	男
毘沙門天	東寺	インド	男
弁財天	六波羅蜜寺	インド	女
布袋尊	萬福寺	中国	男
寿老神	革堂	中国	男
福禄寿神	赤山禅院	中国	男

日本の神って多様！そして日本人も多様なんですよ、麻生大臣！

東京国立科学博物館も、日本人が単一民族ではない旨をDNAの観点から、また、飛鳥資料館や上皇も、日本が単一民族ではないと言ってます。青木理氏もニュース番組で言っておられましたが、これ、「誤解を生じたら謝ります」という種類の問題ではありません。明らかな「事実誤認」です。麻生大臣、もう少し我が国の歴史を勉強していただけませんでしょうか。

ちなみに、親指大の福禄寿ジェダイをご覧になりたい方は、東京国立博物館の根付コーナーにどうぞ！

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